Armey's Rivals Maneuver in Leadership Race

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

Published: November 18, 1998

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17—
In a last-ditch effort to block Representative Dick Armey of Texas from being re-elected on Wednesday as House majority leader, one of his two opponents tried to get the other to drop out and endorse him instead.

But that opponent, Representative Steve Largent of Oklahoma failed to persuade Representative Jennifer Dunn of Washington to quit. Today both said they were in the race to stay and expected to force a runoff after Mr. Armey is denied re-election on the first ballot.

With just hours until House Republicans decide who will lead them in the new Congress, the races for three of the five top positions remained hotly contested. Because the ballots are secret, there are no reliable forecasts of the outcomes.

The three races in which the outcomes are not certain are for majority leader, conference chairman and chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Uncontested are the posts of Speaker, for which Representative Robert L. Livingston of Louisiana is to be nominated on Wednesday, and majority whip, now held by Representative Tom DeLay of Texas.

The unsettled state of the leadership team reflected the uncertain state of the party as it regroups after losing five seats in the midterm elections two weeks ago and plots life after Newt Gingrich, the larger-than-life Speaker who was forced from office after the elections.

Mr. Armey, in the No. 2 job in the House, alienated some members when he supported a coup attempt against Mr. Gingrich last year and then told Mr. Gingrich about it before it became public. Many members expect Mr. Armey to win more votes than anyone else on the first round, but not enough -- a majority -- to claim victory. So Mr. Largent and Ms. Dunn each hope to place second. Whoever comes in last is eliminated from balloting. Each of them is hoping to claim second place, which would give them the right to face off in another round of balloting against the first-round winner, who is expected to be Mr. Armey.

On Monday, Ms. Dunn rejected Mr. Largent's suggestion that she quit the race and that he, if elected, would appoint her to a new position of assistant majority leader. ''That's all there was to it,'' said Kara Kindermann, an aide to Ms. Dunn.

Still brewing is a last-minute effort to draft a fourth candidate, Representative Dennis Hastert of Illinois, into the race for majority leader. Although Mr. Hastert has not campaigned for the job, he has not said he would not serve. As a result, his two most overt supporters, Representatives Thomas W. Ewing of Illinois and Michael N. Castle of Delaware, plan to place his name in nomination on Wednesday and hope that he survives the first ballot and goes on to win as a consensus candidate.

Also under fire is Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, the conference chairman, who is facing a stiff challenge from Representative J. C. Watts of Oklahoma. Mr. Watts, the only black Republican in the House, claimed today to have 118 ''solid'' votes, 4 more than a majority, while Mr. Boehner's aides said he ''would not play the numbers game.''

The third incumbent in a precarious spot is Representative John Linder of Georgia, chairman of the party's campaign committee. The post is a sensitive one in which crucial decisions are made about strategy and distribution of party money in elections. Mr. Linder, who took some blame for the Republican losses in the elections, is being challenged by Representative Thomas M. Davis 3d of Virginia.

House Republicans choose most of their leaders on Wednesday. Only the Speaker, which is a House-wide position, is elected by both Democrats and Republicans, and that election is scheduled for Jan. 6. But the Republicans are to nominate their candidate, Mr. Livingston, on Wednesday, and because there is a Republican majority, he will be elected when the House convenes in January.

The Democrats held their re-organization election quietly on Monday and Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri was re-elected without challenge as minority leader. Today, Mr. Gephardt announced the appointment of Representative Patrick J. Kennedy of Rhode Island, a son of Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, as the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The job is a crucial one for fund-raising for Democratic candidates as they prepare for the elections in 2000, when they hope to regain control of the House.